‘Ronaldo deserves United’s stay beyond short-term fix’
Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja
Former Manchester United defender and football pundit, Roy Keane says Cristiano Ronaldo has proven beyond being a “short-term fix” and deserves to remain with the club a little longer.
Keane, after the United match against Brentford where Ronaldo scored his 18th Premier League goal of the season, marvelled that at 37, the Portuguese forward has put in brilliant performances for the club.
Though the soccer pundit opines that United need new players to pose competition in the squad, lamenting that it is wrong for the leading goal scorer of the club to be of that age, he, however, objected to the view of letting Ronaldo leave.
Keane stressed that it is absurd to consider keeping the Manchester United talisman out of the squad adding that such logic is unfathomable.
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In a TV programme, Monday Night Football, Keane said, “Ronaldo’s signing was a short-term fix, for the fans, for the share price. But he has still scored the goals.
“I just think with the goals that he has got, his performances, warrants staying at the club. But Manchester United have to get players around him, they have to get other strikers in, and there has to be competition for places.
“If the leading goalscorer, the man you are depending on, is 37 years of age then that is certainly not good but I would certainly be holding onto Ronaldo.
“There might be a conversation that needs to be had about the way you are going to play or that you are not going to be playing week in and week out. But why would you get rid of a player who scores that many goals? I don’t see the logic in it,” Keane, the former United captain, added.
Keane took over the captain’s armband at Manchester United after Eric Cantona’s abrupt retirement, and held to it for eight years until his retirement in 2005,
He added that the problem bedevilling the Red Devils is way above Ronaldo.
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